Riding with Rembrandt

To mark the painters 400th birthday, Philip Sen follows a cycle route through the Dutch landscapes he immortalised on canvas

Rembrandt, Edam, windmills, bicycles, canals. It's almost the full suite of Netherlands institutions - add Johan Cruyff and weed cultivation, and you'd have the lot. So, one thing is clear: holidays don't come any more Dutch than cycling past windmills in search of Rembrandt while eating cheese sandwiches and lodging on a barge overnight. This year is the 400th birthday of Holland's second- most-famous son (Van Gogh beats him only by virtue of being madder and having fewer ears), and the nation is in the throes of a painterly party to celebrate his achievement. There are new art installations, birthplace walking tours, even a new musical inspired by Rembrandt's life. More important, there is the largest collection of his masterpieces ever gathered in his homeland - which means it's a great time to get on your bike and see them. The 189-mile Rembrandt cycle tour has been dreamt up by the tour